It’s almost wintertime in Calgary. Most people think that in
the winter you don’t need sun protection, but that couldn’t be the farthest
from the truth. Surprise! The sun shines all year round! The skin is
continually exposed to the sun’s rays as it can penetrate through cloud over. I
could probably write a book on sun protection, but here are some basic
need to knows to keep your skin protected.
1. Try to layer your sun block.
IE: wear a topical 30spf, then put a mineral make up with a powder spf on top.
My favourite is Glo Minerals, which is unlike any mineral make up on the
market. It’s triple milled so it micro particles sit on the skin nicely and
doesn’t look ‘caked’ on.
2. Reapply! Yes, I know you’ve
heard it before, but it’s really the only way to get full protection.
Reapplying every 1.5-2 hours makes a huge difference in the protection of the
block. If you’re going from the office to errands to your home, just dust some
of those Glo Minerals when you are in your car. (Just make sure you don’t drop
it, triple milled also means fragile)
3. For everyday use, try to say
under an spf 40. Anything above a 40spf usually has a tonne of chemicals in it
that can cause a heat sensation on the skin.
4. There is a difference
between sun blocks and sun screens. Each does exactly what is says – one is a
physical block that stops the sun completely, the other screens the sun. I
prefer blocks for better protection. Yonka has a nice SPF 6 (which is great for
everyday use) with a tint to it, so it’s great for evening out the skin tone.
So why protect your skin? Well, other than the obvious
(melanoma), sun exposure can damage the skin in many forms. Pigmentation (sun
spots) are the most common and visible. Sun exposure will also slow the elastin
and collagen production and then here they come – wrinkles and fine lines.
Nothing wrong with that, it will happen eventually, but why let it happen
before it needs to? Protect yourself!
